The Marauders: The Legend Before Harry Potter

The Second Year

Chapter Six

The Discovery

Sirius looked up from his book this time and looked Lily in the eyes, his face serious. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Today's the day of the full moon. You know what the full moon is, don't you? It's when the moon is a complete circle in the sky and you can see the man on the moon, although I've always thought it was a woman on the moon, which makes sense since the Greek and Roman goddesses of the moon are of course, woman..." Sirius grabbed the calendar from her and looked at it closely, flipping through the pages, his mouth slightly open.

"What is it?" Lily asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Nothing. Could I talk to James real quick and give this back to you later?" Sirius asked her, a note of urgency in his voice. Lily raised her eyebrows but reluctantly walked away, mumbling something that sounded like "Boys...can't live without them, but I wish I could."

"Look!" Sirius exclaimed. "There's going to be a full moon tonight!" He pointed to the little box that held the day's date and at the bottom was a hollow circle.

"I'm not deaf, Sirius," James said impassive.

"Odd, isn't it?" Sirius said. "Look--" He turned to the month of September. "I remember that he wasn't in our dormitory the night of September 3rd--and there's a full moon that day too."

James looked up this time; he thought a moment and then took the calendar and turned to the front where last year's months were placed all on one page. "And...and on each month of last year he was gone somewhere in the last week and the full moon signs are there--exactly the days he disappeared."

"He disappeared once each month. No more, no less," Sirius said. "What does this mean?" But he looked as though her knew.

"I think I know what it means, but I could be wrong," James said uneasily. "And it's not something you would want to be wrong about." They suddenly forgot about their large assignments and took off for the Library.

Peter was reading--or pretending to be reading, though truly he was folding paper airplanes behind the large book cover--by himself in a corner when the two boys entered and went over his table. "Peter...," said Sirius, making sure the librarian wasn't listening. "Look up anything you can find about the full moon." Peter looked curious. "Just do it."

"Okay..." Peter said, closing the book he was reading and walking over to one of the many shelves. Sirius and James did the same.

"I'll look in Magical Ailments and Afflictions," Sirius said taking a huge book from a shelf and turning to the glossary.

"How about The Mysterious Moons and Stars: A Question and Answer Book?" Peter asked them, and Sirius nodded to get the book. James got Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and he turned to the page he thought would be most useful: in the 'W' section.

They searched the pages for a few minutes then Sirius read began to read aloud: "A malady that has only infected approximately twenty five people in Europe and Southwest Asia is the illness given by the direct bite of the werewolf to human flesh. It is called Lycanthropy but more commonly is known as the infection of the Werewolf, where the bitten subject transforms into the fully-fledged beast whenever the full moon is faced directly towards earth, not blocked by clouds, until the sunrise. It is a dangerous disease and werewolves must be kept completely away from humans.

"So we're looking for werewolves?" Peter said, running through the pages. "Does this help...Why is the full moon significant? The fact is, the full moon is the cause of many serious happenings in the magic world. The full moon can mean romance is in the air of the day is unlucky--" Peter skimmed the parts of romance and luck until he spotted the word werewolf-- "Okay." He read slowly, "The full moon, because of it's brightness and astounding figure has, through the centuries amazed not only humans but animals, and the most known animal to be devoted to the moon is the wolf, cousin and ancestor of the werewolf. Werewolves are truly humans until the day of the full moon when they become pure wolves. For more information see Volume Two." James grabbed the said book and found what he was looking for and read:

"Why does the full moon trigger howling and a werewolf's transformations? Legends, rumors, and theories say that the moon is the leader of the wolves and when she hangs in the sky she draws the humans with Lycanthropy to their frightening form, and the howling of werewolves and wolves are the creatures calling their packs together. However, because the werewolf is an animal of prey and thrice as harmful as a single wolf it is extremely dangerous to let the werewolf wild which is why many precautions must be taken when you are first bitten by the werewolf."

"Well, that does it I guess. We had better talk with Remus," James said.

"Why are we looking up werewolves in the first place? And where is Remus?" Peter said helplessly.

"Peter, listen," Sirius said in a hushed whisper. "What we just read answers your question. You know how Remus is always gone from evening to morning once a month? Well, we just found out that when he is gone there has always been a full moon." It took Peter over a minute to finally realize what they were talking about.

"You mean--?"

"Yes."

"He can't be!"

"He can. Although I hope we're wrong...for his sake," James said, biting his lip.

"Poor Remus..." Peter sighed. They all sat there silently thinking of their friend, where ever he was, a young werewolf, running around, snarling and howling at the moon. They all shook their heads, hating the thought.

"So he becomes an actual werewolf..." Peter whispered. Then he looked up at Sirius and James. "Are we still going to be his friend?"

"Are you kidding? Of course we are!" Sirius said, a little too loudly. "He's probably never had a friend in his life before now and we're not going to let him down because he was bitten by some bloody animal. If he was."

"It's not as though he's different from anyone else except on the full moon--and he's not hurting a soul!" James said.

***

When Remus returned that morning before breakfast James asked where he had been, Peter and Sirius on their beds listening. "My father was visiting for the day and since I never get to see him I got permission to go visit with him for the day." The other three noticed the messiness of his hair and the dark circles around his bright eyes.

"Remus," Sirius said. "You don't have to hide it. We know." Remus looked at the ground, his red eyes closing slowly.

"Are--are you sure?" he asked.

"Pretty certain, although we don't want you to think we've jumped to conclusions."

Remus's eyes were watering slightly and turned away from them. "I knew you'd find out. Go ahead--tell everyone. Everybody will be scared of me just like everyone else has been, even when I was five years old people would shriek if they found out what I was and wouldn't touch me or want to even look into my eyes. I'll leave Hogwarts. I knew it wouldn't work."

"Remus!" James said, sitting up quickly. "Why would we tell anybody?"

"Because that's what every else does when they find out I'm a...a monster!"

"We won't tell," said Peter. "We're still you're friends!"

"Sure..."Remus said coldly.

"Remus, stop," Sirius said. "We won't tell a soul as long as you don't want us to and we're still your friends. We're not scared of you, you're still the same Remus Lupin, and actually, it's pretty brilliant you being a werewolf." At first Sirius had actually gotten a small smile from Remus until he said the word 'brilliant' and everyone knew when he said it was a huge mistake. Remus' face sank and what little color was in his pallid face left it.

"Brilliant?" Remus said, his voice shaking. "Brilliant that the pain is so unbearable to turn into a werewolf that I could rip a chair in two with my teeth? Brilliant that I was bitten when I was not even four, which means I've been transforming about nine years? Brilliant that even my aunts and uncles are ashamed of me? Brilliant that werewolves have to eat on Human flesh and since I have none I bite myself. Look!" He lifted up his sleeve and there was the gash that he said was caused by a dog. "I did this to myself." He then lifted up his pant leg and they saw teeth marks deep into his skin below his knee. "And these are not the most serious scars I've had."

"Remus, I'm sorry." Sirius looked it too. "I know, I would be furious too. But listen--don't get mad. We'll be your friends still! No matter what!"

Remus didn't look convinced and went down to breakfast alone. Later in Herbology Sirius and Remus were partners and Remus wasn't talking at all. Sirius, who was always getting people to smile, was failing this time.

Later in the dormitory Sirius grabbed James's invisibility cloak and went in search of something, anything, to cheer Remus up when a sudden idea struck him. He came back with four mugs of butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks and gave them to Remus, Peter, James, and himself.

"Cheers!" Sirius said. "Here's to...cloudy days!" They began to drink and already they saw Remus' face get back some color, and for the first time that day he smiled.

"Mmmmmmmmm!" they all sighed in unison.

"Thanks, Sirius," Remus said.

"Ha!" Sirius said. "I knew it would work. When all else fails, drink Butterbeer!" So they finished drinking and Remus, when growing more comfortable, began to share his secrets and past storied of his life.

"I was bitten when my mum was working in Africa and brought me with her. How we've wanted to turn back the clock and never go... I was three and a half and I was bitten in my sleep. I was sleeping in my buggy in a very hot deserted parking lot while my mom was inside a building buying drinks. That was when I was attacked by a wandering werewolf. I changed after that day, physically and mentally. Mum said if I hadn't been bitten I would probably have blue eyes and dark brown hair like my father.

"I transform inside the willow leading to a haunted mansion in Hogsmeade called the Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore's done so much for me; he wrote lots of letters to the Ministry to allow me to come here. So each night on the full moon I go to the Shrieking Shack--Professor Totum the Astronomy Teacher can predict the exact time the full moon with appear and disappear. So I transform, my mind no longer human, and in the morning I transform back and make my way to the school. Dumbledore's made the Shrieking Shack completely safe of my trying to escape, which I've probably tried to do; I don't always remember everything and he's made it so no one can see me coming out of the willow unless they know what I am. Dangerous, yes, but it's the most he could do. I don't howl because the moon is blocked from my view, but I can shriek and cry and growl.

"I'm getting used to it now. I can't remember or imagine what it would be like to live normally and Dumbledore says that wizards and witched around the world are trying to discover a cure." He shrugged. There were gray circles beneath his eyes.

"So that's what that tree's for!" Peter said, clutching his empty Butterbeer tankard in his hand.

"Yes. You just have to press this knot of the bottom of the trunk and it'll stand completely still. A real work of genius. Dumbledore's idea of course."

"That Dumbledore's the best headmaster in the History of Hogwarts," James said.

"Too true," Remus agreed, raising his glass of Butterbeer and taking a last gulp.

***

The next day at lunch, James decided to give his new broomstick a try so he made his way to the Quidditch pitch to practice. He kicked off from the ground, the cool autumn air whisking his messy hair about his face. He closed his eyes peacefully and soared in circles, backwards and forwards, up side down, soaring towards the clouds; he flew through the goal posts and around the stands. He had never flown so easily and he was shocked at how well the Nimbus 1000 improved his speed and skill. He landed after a satisfying twenty minutes and walked back to the castle his broom against his shoulder feeling quite content, thinking to himself: those Quidditch people don't know what they're missing. He whistled proudly as he went through the castle doors but stopped when he found himself face to face with the Quidditch captain.

"You James Potter?" Ray Warren said, his arms crossed, surveying James from head to toe. "You fly very well. I've been doing some thinking, and I want you on the team." James felt his heart skip a beat and he found himself tripping over his own words.

"Re--really?" he sputtered, awe-struck.

"Yes. You'll be on the team instead of Lily. You're much more advanced than she and I'm sure she'll understand. You'll be a Chaser along with the old one, Matilda McGregor and that Ezmerlda Bottle girl." He didn't even wait for James to reply. "I'm off to give Lily Evans the bad news. I expect to see you at the Wednesday practice, eh, Potter?" He walked off, James nodding in a daze, his mouth hanging open. Not caring if anyone was around, he leapt up in the air in happiness and shouted out. After the shock had worn off several moments later had headed off to the Common Room, his face glowing.

Lily rounded a corner, coming at him. James smirked at her. "Well, madam, I know that you are probably feeling quite small at the moment, but surely you'll still cheer me on, eh?" Lily approached him quickly, her fists clenched, teeth bared, and her face glowing pink. If James ever felt that he was about to be swallowed whole by a predator, it was now. Lily was seething.

"So...Potter...you think that it's just BRILLIANT that you've replaced me on the Quidditch team?" Several students had stopped to watch the furious girl. "Well, all I have to say is, before you gloat about it I would much rather not be on the Quidditch team than be on it and have THE BIGGEST HEAD IN ALL OF ENGLAND!" She marched off, huffing and cursing under her breath, as James stared at her back dumbfounded. Sirius, who had witnessed the blow with several others walked towards him and put his hand on James' shoulder.

"Well mate...that didn't go very well if you ask me," he said matter-of-factly.

"She called me Potter!" James exclaimed.

"Yeah, and she's also never going to forgive you for this. I guess you can kiss going out with her good-bye."

"She called me Potter!" James said once again.

Wednesday came and James went back to the Quidditch field, feeling much better about his new position than he had since Lily had insulted him several days before.

"Ahhhhh, Potter," Ray Warren said as James approached. "Now everyone's here. First off, let me introduce everyone in case you don't know each other. Our seeker is Joshua Constanze, he's in third year." Joshua was a very small boy with a squashed face and a long nose that pointed upward. He nodded to say hello, his lips smacking as he chewed gum that was sticking in his mouth like pink cobweb.

Ray continued, "Our beaters are Bruce Darwall and myself." Bruce was a very large and muscular boy of about fifteen. "The Keeper is Mildred for her fifth year and I hope she'll be as good this year as she was last." Ray winked at her, standing a bit straighter than before. Surprisingly, Mildred looked much older than sixteen and she was stunningly attractive with loads of thick blond hair and rosy cheeks. "Our chasers," Ray said louder so the male team mates would pay attention to him and not Mildred "...Are Matilda McGregor, Ezmerelda Bottle, and James Potter." Matilda was a rather pudgy girl with short brown hair and Ezmerelda, who had a new broom and Quidditch boots, had pulled her thick black hair in a tight ponytail and was looking very ready to skip the pleasantries and just fly.

Ray made them all play to their strengths: James, Ezmerelda, and Matilda passed the Quaffle around for about half an hour, testing each other, while Mildred blocked the goal as they tried to score against her. Joshua Constanze practiced with the snitch on his own, while Ray and Bruce knocked Bludgers back and forth with incredible strength. James felt rather at ease with the team, and he could feel several eyes on his, admiring his flying stance; but their was no question about who was the best flyer. Ezmerelda, however young she was, seemed to know flying better than most humans knew walking; it was as though she had been born on a broomstick.

"Good practice everyone," Ray said after they had landed an hour and a half later. "See you next week." They walked back to Hogwarts castle and went their separate ways. In the corridors Ezmerelda saw James walking alone and hurried to catch up with him, the heels of her boots clinking against the marble floor.

"James, wait up!" she called.

"Oh, hey," James said, turning around, smiling at her.

"You're really good at Quidditch," Ezmerelda told him when she had caught up with him. The silver stud at the top of her left ear was glowing in the torchlight. "How long have you been playing?"

"Since I was about seven. You?"

"Oh, since as long as I can remember. My dad was on the Chudley Canon's team when he was younger and now that he's too old to play he wants me to follow in his footsteps." She sighed.

"That must be nice to have an ex-Quidditch dad," James said, beginning to get more interested in her. She just shrugged and looked at the floor.

"Maybe. But it can be very tiring. Before I came here he would take me to play in our backyard everyday and he put me on all sorts of diets." James could tell; she was unnaturally thing and muscular. "When I was about eight I even fell from a broom and broke my neck...even that didn't stop his ambition to make me a professional player. I was so glad to come here and just play Quidditch the way I wanted to."

"I hope the Canon's have a good team this year. We need a good win," James said.

"I heard it's the same as last year," she responded glumly.

"Oh," James said, knowing that this meant terrible. "We'll have to rely on some other team then I guess." They had reached the portrait hole. All the Gryffindors inside were anxious to hear how it had gone and what to expect from the team. A few other members of the team had climbed through the portrait hole behind James and Ezmerelda.

"How'd it go?" said a girl jumping in her seat.

"So, are we better than last year?" demanded someone else. A loud voice came over everyone else.

"Clear a path!" it called and everyone parted and let the new Prefect come through, Frank Longbottom, his large belly bouncing around. "So," he looked at the Quidditch players. "Are we going to have a victory?" Everyone cheered. "Are we gonna knock that Slytherin DOWN?! Are we going to show that that Gryffindors are the true house!!" They cheered again.

"Yeah!" James yelled. They spent the rest of the evening getting their hopes raised to the sky on how Slytherin and the other teams were going to be put to shame.

***

James was one of the last to walk up to the dormitory and when he entered he found Sirius, Remus, and Peter fast asleep. He sighed heavily and walked over to his four-poster bed and began to take of his shocks and shoes. He opened his trunk to get out his nightclothes when the invisibility cloak caught his eye. It couldn't hurt...just to go poking around the castle a bit.

Suddenly he was no longer tired. He wanted to explore the castle and find out its many secrets. He bolted for the door, pulling their cloak over him and found himself passing through every corridor he had ever been in. All was silent and as his adventuresome spirit was drawing to a close and he realized he would need to take a leaf out of Sirius' secret passageway book, he heard a distant sound of sobs. The noise was coming from a door at the end of the hall. He walked to it and pushed the door, opening, unaware that it was a girls' lavatory.

"Excuse me..." James whispered. He found himself in a dirty and dusty bathroom and, to his shock, the ghost of a girl was hovering above one of the stalls, sobbing. The girl looked up, her translucent eyes slightly red. She had an ugly face with dirty hair and glasses but James' couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Who's there?" she said. James took off the invisibility cloak and the girl shrieked.

"What are you doing in here? This is not your toilet, you're a boy!" she yelled, flying up from the toilet so she was hovering above him.

"Calm down, I just wanted to see why you were crying," James said, wondering if he should just put on the invisibility cloak and leave right away.

"You really don't know much do you?" she said, crossing her arms and legs.

"Come again?" James said, stepping closer to her.

"I've been here for almost thirty years, haunting this toilet because I've nothing better to do," she said glumly.

"Why here, though?" James asked, but soon regretted it.

"Because this is where I...died." And she suddenly burst into her tears again, even louder than before.

"Shhh! Calm down, I'm sorry I asked. Now, I've got to get going," James said, backing up slowly. The ghost shrieked.

"Of course you do! You don't want to talk with stupid, ugly Myrtle. Poor, poor Moaning Myrtle. No one does." He covered himself with the cloak and tiptoed to the door, placing his hand on the silver doorknob when suddenly he froze; he heard another voice, this time the voice of a man.

"Who's in there? Who's that crying? Who's that talking?" called the voice. It had a small familiar ring in it, but James couldn't place it. The door cracked open and James was crushed behind the door and the wall; he saw in one of the opposite mirror's a strange face of a mid-aged man with an ugly face peering in, bright eyes shining like lamps. James watched as the door creaked open and the man stepped inside and by him stood an old, wide-eyed cat.